Xenomorph
by Stormchaser90
Summary: Awoken from cryogenic sleep, the crew of the Kepler investigate a mysterious alien transmission. On a nearby planet they discover a derelict craft, holding a terrible cargo that attacks one of the crew. When escaping the planet they find they brought along a stowaway, a creature born from death to be the perfect killer. In space, no one can hear you scream.
1. Chapter I: Strange Transmission

_Disclaimer. I hereby acknowledge that I do not own Kim Possible and Alien, neither am I profiting from this work of fiction. This story is based upon the final story treatment written by Dan O'Bannon and Ronald Shusett, with scenes based on the Alien film but some dialogue has been altered based on the characters used for the story._

 _Warning: This story has scenes of strong violence, gore, horror and foul language. Rated M for Mature readers only and not to be read by anyone under the age of 18 years._

 _Author Note: I decided to launch this story early, with later chapter's being released when ready and if my schedule is not too hectic. Hope you all enjoy!_

* * *

 _ **A STORMCHASER90 PRODUCTION**_

 _ **Elizabeth Director**_

 _ **Ann Possible**_

 _ **Adrena Lynn**_

 _ **Eddie Lipsky**_

 _ **Montogomery Fiske**_

 _ **Eric #901**_

 _ **& Lontaine Load**_

 _ **in**_

 _ **XENOMORPH**_

 _ **A KIM POSSIBLE/ALIEN FUSION**_

* * *

The space of an uncharted star system remained untouched by the presence of intelligent life for many years, well...uncharted by _human_ life that is. The system once did see those of an unknown species of great intelligence and power pass through, and perish mysteriously.

On a small planetoid in the system, the doomed vessel of theirs became a monument to their passing, laying still for many years. But not quiet. Shortly after the extra-terrestrial collosus had crashed it communed with the cosmos, signalling the stars but receiving no response. Over and over it repeated the routine as hours turned to days, days to weeks, weeks to months, then finally to years. Nothing answered the call, until now.

Far from the system, where the transmitted message had weakened over such vast distances, it was picked up by the highly sensitive external sensors of a small towing vehicle.

The Kepler.

On a long journey through deep, the most advanced sensor array designed by the Hench-Nakasumi corporation was installed on all their towing vehicles; the sole purpose of which was to watch over the vital systems of the ship, the cargo and the cosmos itself for any anomolies. While the crew slumbered away in the protective cocoons of the Hyper-Sleep chambers, the intelligent computer designed to watch over them repeated continual checks on all vital systems to the ship.

From major systems like the life support systems and plasma engines, to ones that looked unimportant like the tiniest screw and circuit board. Nothing remained unchecked.

Even the vast cargo being towed, a large fully automatic chemical refinery with cargo tanks able to store 20,000,000 tons of raw minerals and ores. Over the long journey back, the refinery would convert the raw materials into petro-chemicals used in the manufacture of industrial plastics. Towing vehicles and the advanced refineries they towed were of great importance for powerful companies, searching the stars when the last oil rigs sucked up the last drops of oil.

The external sensor net searched the surrounding space for threats and obstructions, making course corrections when necessary. Picking up traces of microscopic solar dust and gases, it was a textbook journey of several months back home. It was then that the computer detected the signal. It didn't match the known background noises of the galaxy, plus the way the signal was comprised indicated possible intelligent life behind such a signal. It was a fascinating mystery which peaked its interest, curiously scanning the signal but learning nothing more about it.

Further investigation was needed, as it followed proceedures placed into its programming in the event of such a scenario. Diverting the ship off its pre-set course, the ship ventured into the unknown.

* * *

 **-Chapter I-**

 **Strange Transmission**

* * *

Throughout the corridors of The Kepler, the atmosphere was void of oxygen that had been vented back into the life-support storage tanks. For many months the interior recreation and dining rooms were incapable of providing a suited environment for life. On the bridge of the vessel, the darkness was illuminated by the glow of vital buttons; a mix of blues, greens, reds, yellows, plus the soft light of the distant star of the very solar system the vessel entered a few short weeks ago.

The silence was broken when blank computer screens flickered to life, a series of command functions appearing on the screen as the ship begun the task of making the interior habitable for life, they wake the crew from their dreams.

A steady hiss of air came out of the vents, pumping in fresh recycled oxygen throughout the vessel. Internal monitors probed the interior of the ship, waiting until the interior of the ship's atmosphere had reached optimum saturation levels. Once again the Kepler was now habitable for life, the computer executing another command to the Hyper-Sleep room.

Seven chambers surrounded the central life support system, tasked with monitoring the vital functions of all eight sleeping occupants; a small poodle dog slumbering with one of the crew assigned to share their chamber.

Three women. Four men. All wearing the same underwear the day they went into Hyper-Sleep.

The crew of the commercial towing vehicle, The Kepler.

In charge of the ship was Captain Elizabeth Director or Betty to her friends. She had some experience with mining and towing missions in the Sol system, ferrying Helium-3 from Neptune to Mars Colonial Station. An accomplished pilot, she commanded her ship the Kepler on every mission. But they didn't compare to the unknown conditions of deep space prospecting, of which she had experience on three missions which included the one her crew nearly completed.

Elizabeth was glad she had a few officers that worked with her before on this mission. It felt comfortable working with someone you knew, that way when the worst happened you knew you had someone trusted to watch your back. Fiske, her Executive Officer served with Director on a few of her flights in the Sol System, and the missions outside of the system. Same went for her Navigation Officer, Lynn, who had a tendency to get stirred up in stressful situations. But if someone saw past those flaws, they would see what Director saw. She was good a plotting a course and even helped co-pilot the ship a few times, even taking over for Director on some missions.

The engineers of the ship, Load and Lipsky, served with them for all three outer-system missions and were experts in all things technical. Although Eddie Lipsky was just as skilled as Load in engineering, he held the rank of Engineer Technician due to lack of seniority command experience, which Load had. The two of them worked and complained together on every deep space mission they signed up for, always in it for the money but making less than the senior staff, earning a half share compared to the full shares all her senior staff were expecting at the end of their mission.

Before they all set forth on their expedition, two crew members were replaced at the behest of company orders at Mars Station. The Science and Warrant Officers.

They got to know the Warrant Officer during the mission, Lt. Ann Possible. This was her first deep space mission but her experience on several missions in the Sol system served her well, logging the materials mined and sent to the refinery they were towing. Pushing papers wasn't exactly the only thing she did however. When Director and other senior officers were on away missions, Possible was in command and she proved to be just as good as Director. If she played her cards right, she could end up with a Command of her own one day.

But their Science Officer, Eric was something Director couldn't figure out. Although his first deep space mission, he had experience on a few system runs and as part of the team that established a research outpost on Europa. But when reading his recommendations and reports from officers he served with, it was like reading fiction. It was like it was his very first mission or something and someone with a lot of pull got him on their roster. Maybe he had a relative who worked higher up in the company, using their power to help him out despite his age and experience. Still, he was pretty good at his job with analysis and managed to score some big mineral deposits for them to mine. At first they thought it was luck but the calculations he made, although not as good as the ships computer he was the best science officer to serve with Director in years.

Plus they had what they called the ships mascot, a poodle called Puddles which Ed brought along with him. It wasn't uncommon to bring pets on deep space voyages, a little animal therapy was good for the crew.

Deactivating the internal life support functions, the chamber doors slowly rose into the air like petals of a flower greeting the morning sun. The cold air recently pumped into the room had no effect on their semi-naked bodies, still chilled from their stay in the chambers. Their temperatures were dramatically lowered while in Hyper-Sleep to slow their metabolisms, aging them only a few days at most. Montgomery Fiske was the first to come out of their months long slumber, groaning weakly as his aching muscles protested against his slow movements. He welcomed the aches, for it was a sign that he was still alive.

 _'Heating system should be kicking in any second now,'_ Fiske thought, hissing as his bare feet made contact with the ice cold floor. Still, it helped making him alert. Padding into the communal shower area of the vessel, Fiske hoped a nice hot shower would warm him up as the rest of the crew begun to wake.

* * *

Puddles lay happily on the floor, chewing on a toy bone while the crew ate together. Already the internal heating systems kicked in but it would take time until they felt warm enough, not surprising considering the internal temperatures their bodies were at for the past couple of months. Taking a sip from what passed as freshly brewed coffee, Captain Director was glad to see that the crew were in good spirits. She just hoped it would remain that way.

During the course of their mission, the engineers complained to her about the pay they were contracted for; not that she blamed them or anything. Although they did most of the grunt work in tough conditions, she and the rest of the crew mainly had what Lipsky liked to call 'Seriously Cushy Desk Jobs'. That wasn't strictly true as most of the senior officers had to do their fair share of the heavy lifting too.

"I still feel cold," Lynn complained. "Damn heating system takes forever to warm up the place."

"Yeah, well I feel dead," Fiske added weakly, sighing from the pounding headache he usually got from leaving Hyper-Sleep.

"Anyone ever tell you that you look dead?" Lontaine joked, provoking much needed laughter to lighten their spirits. It didn't help numb his headache but Fiske found himself chuckling anyway.

It was a stressful job hauling deep space cargo, being away from home and loved ones but they were all glad it would be over soon. Catching Lipsky mouth something to Load, Director knew immediately what it was.

 _'Great. This is just what I needed,'_ Director thought.

"Oh yeah, that reminds me," Lontaine said. "Before we dock I think we should go over the bonus situation. With all the hard work me and Ed put in, we deserve full shares."

"Yeah, seriously, I feel like the whole bonus thing has never been exactly equal to everyone."

"You'll get what you're contracted for," Director tiredly said, wondering how many more times if they were going to bring it up. "Just like everyone else on this ship."

"Yeah, well everyone else looks set to earn more than us, seriously," Ed muttered, as he finished fixing up what passed for a hoagie sandwhich.

Director really didn't want to go into another debate over payment, when she felt Eric nudge her elbow to get her attention.

"Mother wants to talk to you," He said, indicating the solid yellow light on the wall.

Solid yellow meant information for the captain of the ship, either it being a security or hazard report or a few systems having failed while they were all asleep. Whatever it was, Director felt glad to at least got out of discussing the engineers money woes.

"I'll see what she wants," Director said, getting up as she put on a beige flight jacket before picking up her coffee mug. "Alright, lets get this ship into dock. Lontaine, you and Ed get to work on a maintenance sweep of the ship. We'll discuss the bonus situation later, okay?"

"Fine, just let me finish my coffee first," Lontaine said. "It's the only thing that does have some taste to it."

Director sighed tiredly as she left the mess room, taking another sip of her coffee while she went to the main computer core room; access restricted to those with authorization. Clocking in her biometric data card the door opened, allowing her to step into a small hexagonal room with advanced computer databanks circling the chair in the center. Sitting down and punching the start up button, Director watched as the neon green screen menu appeared, weblike data lines criss-crossing to form readable text. Curious to what the computer needed her to see, she punched in a query.

 **[What's the sitch, Mother?]**

She chuckled with disbelief at what she typed, figuring she subconciously used a mannerism Ann's daughter used frequently whenever she asked what was wrong; from one of the conversations she had with Ann while getting to know new crew members. Luckily the computer A.I. had advanced vocabulary software, allowing it to understand slang and lingo humans tended to use. Immediately responding to the input, the computer brought up the Kepler's diagnostic and communication logs, highlighting a row of text that raised a quizzical eyebrow from Betty.

"What the hell?" She whispered to herself, as she investigated further. Opening the sub-menu, she let out a low whistle at what she saw.

Their mission had just got interesting.

* * *

The bridge of the Kepler was slightly more larger than the mess hall but with different command consoles and molded flight seats, it was easy for someone to catch their leg on something if they weren't paying attention. Taking their respective positions on the bridge, the senior flight staff were eager to begin final approach to Earth. With Director currently occupied in the computer room, Fiske was next in command and was tasked with bringing cargo and ship to dock. Possible took her seat at Comm's, placing headphones with microphone attachment on her head while Eric begun monitoring his science station.

Lynn slumped into the seat behind the main navigation console, her fingers dancing across the controls as she brought up a request for current position and flight vectors. Almost immediately she froze at the console, staring at the navigation radar screen to her right; displaying nothing but unfamiliar constellations. A quick double check revealed that it wasn't a glitch or anything in the nav systems. They were in the wrong place.

"Uh, where the hell is Earth?" Lynn said, wondering

"Don't ask me, you're the navigator," Fiske said, just as puzzled as he looked at the readout on his console. "Scan the area, find out where we are."

Watching the screen, she saw unfamiliar stars scroll aside as the ship sensors probed the surrounding cosmos.

"Oh this is so fur-eaky," She sighed under her breath, trying to remain calm despite the gravity of their current situation.

Fiske took the next course of action, figuring Possible was right that they came out of light speed too early. Resting his chin on a closed fist, he calmly looked out the main window before giving his next order. "Contact traffic control. See if we're still within the communications network. If so then we should expect a response quickly."

Adjusting the headphones to make final checks for clear communication, Possible kept her voice calm and professional before speaking. "This is commercial towing vehicle, The Kepler, out of the Solomons. Registration number one eight zero niner, two four six zero niner. En-route to Earth with bulk refinery and petrochemical cargo. Contacting Sol/Antartica traffic control. Do you read me? Over."

The message was broadcasted on standard hailing frequency in omni-direction, hoping it would be picked up on a deep space communication bouy. While Possible repeated the message, Lynn had been working on calculating their current position by using scans of the surrounding star systems with astro-navigation charts stored in the ships computer. The only one not too fussed about navigational concerns was Puddles, who was lying down beside Possible while chewing on a dried piece of jerkey.

"No response," Possible said, sounding perplexed with just a hint of worry.

"Keep trying," Fiske ordered, positive they would work out what was going on soon while turning to Lynn. "Try calculate our current position. Find out where we are."

"I'm trying but it's not easy. This isn't exactly on any official flight plan."

It took Lynn a few minutes of careful calculation and double checking until she found what their position, although it wasn't a position they wanted to hear.

"Got it...and us," Lynn said in disbelief. "Just short of Zeta-II Reticuli. We not even reached the outer rim of the system yet."

"What are we doing this far out? This is way off the programmed course."

Before any of them could answer Fiske, the internal communication speakers broadcasted Director's voice throughout the ship. _"Attention all crew, this is your captain speaking. Report to the mess hall immediately for emergency briefing."_

"Guess we're about to find out," Possible said.

* * *

A steady pulsing hum reverberated through the maintenance corridors; power cables and coolant pipes snaking along the metal plated walls. The thick smell of oil and industrial lubricant helped cover the scent of sweat, which the engineers did a lot in such humid conditions. Hearing Director's message, the two engineers made their way to the living quarters while discussing what the meeting could possibly be about.

"Man, what the hell kind of meeting are we going to? It can't be to discuss the bonus situation," Load spoke loudly, barely registerable over the noise of the machinery.

"Like Director would seriously discuss our money with us," Lipsky sighed.

"Hey, she may be the captain but she could put in a good word for us. We put our blood and sweat into keeping this bucket flying, probably doing more physical work than the others. If anyone deserves full shares its us."

"Like they would give full shares to people they don't take seriously."

"They don't take you seriously," Lontaine said. "C'mon, you do air guitar all the time, make hoagies with what passes for food, hell you even brought that damn poodle on board..."

"Hey, in my defense I only brought him along since my cousin can't look after him!"

"Whatever man, let's just find out what the captain wants."

Arriving at the mess hall, the two engineers found that the senior staff were waiting. As soon as the engineers were seated, the captain informed her crew of what Mother shown her.

"As some of you may know, we're not yet arrived at our solar system," Director said. "In fact, we're actually halfway there."

"Seriously?" Lipsky said, wondering if it was something to do with a computer error that woke them up or a mechanical failure. Before he could ask, Director gave the reason for their early wake up call.

"Seriously. It seems the computer is programmed to bring us out of hyperdrive and wake us up in the event certain conditions arise. Well...they have," Director explained, the crew listening intently. "Our long range sensors have picked up a transmission in this sector."

"A transmission out _here_?" Possible said. "What kind of transmission?"

"An acoustical beacon, which repeats at intervals of twelves seconds," Director told them.

"Lke an S.O.S. distress call?" Possible inquired.

"Mother isn't too sure but it's an assumption," Director said, figuring her Executive Officer was going to ask the million dollar question. She was right.

"Is it Human?" Fiske asked, curious but dreading what the might be.

"Again...not to entirely sure," Director honestly said, ignoring the nevous chuckle from Lontaine with just a hint of a derisive scoff.

Leaning back in his chair, Director could tell he clearly didn't know much about the contract he signed from his act of defiance. "So what? We're a commercial ship, not a rescue team or something. My contract clearly doesn't state this kind of duty. I mean, if the company wants me to give us money for this I'll gladly be up for it but I'm not going to volunteer for this for free."

"Actually, according to subsection..." Fiske tried to say, completely cut off by Lontaine.

"Anyway me and Lipsky want to go over the bonus situation again..."

"Uh if I may say something but you're forgetting one thing actually Lontaine," Eric added to the debate, interrupting the engineer. "There is a clause in the contract the specfically states, in the event of the discovery of any systematized transmission, it _must_ be investigated..."

It wasn't what Lontaine wanted to hear and his childish attempt at speaking over Eric was the last straw for Director, reaching her boiling point when he slouched in his chair. "Hey, I don't wanna hear it man! I wanna go home to my wife and kid!"

"Load, will you just shut up and listen to him?!" Director snapped, her harsh tone demanding his utmost professional behaviour.

Not wanting to push her further, he sighed with defeat and waved his hand for Eric to continue. The young man smiled as he finished his sentence, reminding everyone why exactly they had to investigate.

"...Failure to do so will result in the total foreiture of _all_ shares," Eric finished, registering the look of surprise in Load's eyes. Eric found it almost funny of how good a motivator money was.

"You got that?" Director sternly spoke, getting only a slight nod from Load in response. "Alright then, everyone to their stations. We're going in."

* * *

 **Xenomorph - Behind the Scenes with Kim & Ron**

 **Part 1**

Seated on two foldable chairs before a large red velvet curtain, the spotlight revealed the two teen heroes Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable. Instead of wearing their typical casual clothing, they wear dressed for the occasion in wearing custom flight uniforms in the film.

"Hi, this is Kim," Kim said.

"And Ron," Her boyfriend finished. "And we're here to offer a few insights into the story and a few facts behind the cultral phenomena known as the Alien franchise. Of course it can't hold a candle to _our_ franchise in terms of fanfiction! Right Kim?"

Checking out the fanfiction website on her wrist mounted Kimmunicator, the redhead nodded in confirmation.

"That's right Ron," Kim said, looking a little smug herself. "In terms of fanfiction, both the Alien and Predator fanfictions are listed together in the movie section of the site which has about 2.6 thousand stories written, adding the six stories written for Alien Isolation in the games section. But our franchise has 9.6 thousand!"

"Boo-yah, we got Alien and Predator beat!" Ron cheered. "Well, in terms of fanfiction and TV shows but not counting the fact they got us beat in on movies, comics, official novelisations, video games and other merchandise. Still, I'm pretty psyched to see how this pans out KP!"

"Me too, I can't believe mom got one of the lead roles."

"And it leaves you up for a possible lead role if Stormchaser90 ever decides to do a fanfic based on the game Alien Isolation," Ron said. "Well, if he ever manages to beat it that is."

"Hey, that game is harder than you think!" A British voice yelled offstage.

"Even on the _easiest_ difficulty?"

"If you don't drop it I swear to God I'm going to write a Ron/DNAmy fic!" Stormchaser90 warned, still sore about being caught out repeatedly by the game AI.

"Woah, o-okay just chill dude! I'm sorry, I crossed the line, it won't happen again!"

"Ron, let's just focus on giving the reader's some trivia, okay?" Kim said sweetly, taking out a set of cue cards. "Hey, how about I test your movie knowledge? You do watch a _lot_ of movies."

Ron smiled at Kim, a smile that told her he was confident about nailing whatever questions she would throw at him. Leaning back in his chair, he folded his hands behind his head.

"Hey bring it on, KP. I'm a master when it comes to movies, TV and games," Ron said with confidence. "Well, anything geek."

"Okay then, question one. What was the working title of the original Alien story treatment, written by Dan O'Bannon and Ronald Shusett?" Kim asked, having to suppress a giggle when she saw a totally clueless expression form on his face.

"Uh...Acid blood killer space thing?" Ron guessed, figuring it was far from correct. "Oh man, I'm so totally wrong aren't I?"

"It's Star Beast," Stormchaser90 said off stage.

"He's right," Kim said, flipping to the next card. "Okay, how about I give you a really easy one next. What was the name of the country where Alien was filmed?"

Ron rolled his eyes at the question, figuring it was pretty obvious since it was produced by 20th Century Fox. "Kim, you didn't have to make it too easy! America!"

"Uh...Ron, that is actually wrong," Kim said, giggling at the look of surprise on her boyfriend.

"The answer is Great Britain," Stormchaser90 answered again. "The scenes were shot at Shepperton Studio outside of London, while the model of the Nostromo and miniature work was shot at Bray Studios in Berkshire...Boo-yah to the Brits!"

"He's totally right, isn't he?" Ron sighed, as Kim nodded yet again. "Aw man, give me a really easy one."

"Okay, one more then we call it quits," Kim said, looking for an easier card. "Uh...how about this one? How old was Sigourney Weaver when they made Alien?"

"Uh...let's see, she did look pretty young but not too young," Ron thought, thinking really hard about the answer. "Was she 29 when she made the film?"

"Ron...you actually got it right!" Kim said, rolling her eyes when Ron fist pumped the air in victory. "Okay, quick bonus then. What role did Weaver think she was auditioning for in Alien?"

"Has to be Lambert, right?" Ron said, fist pumping the air again when Kim nodded. "Boo-yah, I'm making a comeback!"

"Well, uh...let's skip the trivia for now and go to the thanks," Kim said, pocketing the cards before addressing the readers. "Well, thank you all for reading this first chapter of the story. Oh and do check out the story contest that Stormchaser90 will be starting in October."

Descending from the ceiling, a large white sheet with black lettering advertised the upcoming contest.

 _ **STORMCHASER90'S HEEBIE-JEEBIE HULLABALOO HALLOWEEN STORY CONTEST**_

 _ **BEGINS OCTOBER 1ST**_

 _ **ENDS OCTOBER 31ST**_

"Woah, look at the length of the contest title," Ron said. "Reminds me of saying 'whitem's Annual Snow Daze Holiday Story Contest', huh Kim?"

"Right, well this section went on for a lot longer than expected so we'll be wrapping this up now but if you have any questions then contact the author," Kim said, waving goodbye to the reader's. "See you at the end of the next chapter."


	2. Chapter II: Answering The Call

_Disclaimer. I hereby acknowledge that I do not own Kim Possible and Alien, neither am I profiting from this work of fiction. This story is based upon the final story treatment written by Dan O'Bannon and Ronald Shusett, with scenes based on the Alien film but some dialogue has been altered based on the characters used for the story._

 _Warning: This story has scenes of strong violence, gore, horror and foul language. Rated M for Mature readers only and not to be read by anyone under the age of 18 years._

* * *

 **-Chapter II-**

 **Answering the Call**

The senior crew arrived at the bridge to listen in on the signal and pinpoint the exact location, Lynn sitting down at the communications console. The engineers weren't too eager to listen to the extra-terrestrial signal, opting to continue their duties by running checks on the engineering systems which Lynn felt tempted to join them. Still, considering they weren't too happy to learn about the clause in their contract and the tensions between their pay differences, it was best to give them some time alone.

Possible noted how calm and collective Eric looked but almost curious. He certainly was science officer material, she gave him that but still, every scientist felt nervous about something and here he was without breaking a sweat.

"Bringing up the transmission now," Lynn said, punching in a command. "There you go."

What played through the speakers was a sound unlike anything they ever heared before, a distorted echo of either a verbal communication by a biological being or the sound of a digital signal. Either way, it clearly wasn't human at all and the expressions of uncertainty on most of her staff was clear to Director that they were wondering just what they got themselves into. Possible shivered at thought of what sort of lifeform had made that signal, wondering if it was friendly or...well, they would find out when they got there.

"My God," Fiske said, almost too speechless for words.

"Well that is definetely no signal I ever heard before," Possible said, wondering what sort of intelligence could have made it.

"I think is might be a voice, a pretty fur-eaky one too," Lynn figured, hearing what could have been vocalisations within the transmission.

"We'll find out soon enough though," Director said, trying to remain calm herself. "Can you home in on the signal?"

Lynn nodded and begun to adjust the sensitivity to the external sensors to their highest setting, which began to pick up numerous faint background noises from various natural stellar events. Still, she needed a co-ordinate to investigate.

"Uh...what was the position of it again?" Lynn asked Director.

"6550-99."

Punching in the position into the computer, the external sensors on the hull began to focus on that sector of space. Within a few seconds of scanning the screen flickered to show the quadrant of space, overlaying a navigation grid out the stars to pinpoint the exacct position

"Well, I found the quadrant," Lynn said, trying to hide the ack of enthusiasm in her tone of voice. "Ascension, six minutes, twenty seconds. Declination, thirty-nine degrees, two seconds."

"Put it up on screen, let us see," Director ordered, Lynn swiftly executing another command.

On another view screen nearer to the other crew members, a detailed magnification of the co-ordinates shown a small planetoid orbiting a ringed gas giant.

"It's a planetoid, about twelve hundred kilometers," Lynn said. "Database lists it under the designation SM-607."

"That's small," Fiske said, amazed anything that size could hold possible intelligent life while Director inquired again.

"What's the rotation of it?"

The computer made another calculation with the data analysis gathered from initial scans.

"Just under two hours," Lynn said.

"What about gravity?"

"Point eight six," Lynn answered after another quick calculation.

"We can walk on it," Eric suggested, Director nodding in agreement.

The Kepler was designed to make atmospheric entry on other worlds to prospect new resources, so they would have to disengage from the refinery platform. Director figured they could begin to orbit the planetoid, which would keep the refinery safe while they investigated the signal.

* * *

Entering the solar system of the planets, the Kepler and its hulking cargo approached the small planetoid, passing by several smaller moons in orbit. The engineers kept an eye on the engine and shielding systems, standard protocol for landings. On the bridge of the Kepler the crew were on high alert, making sure every calculated trajectory was correct. One single mistake and their precious cargo would burn up on atmospheric entry.

"Approaching orbital apogee. Mark," Lynn said, beginning the countdown. "Twenty seconds. Nineteen. Eighteen..."

As she continued the countdown, her crew mates were manning their respective stations.

"Roll ninety-two degrees to port," Fiske ordered, feeling the inertial movement as the ship began to roll.

Although a small planetoid, the Kepler and the bulk refinery were dwarfed by its size as it rolled into equatorial orbit. Eric swiftly calculated the descent vectors while regulating minor systems with ease.

"Equatorial orbit nailed," Eric said, Director nodding in affirmation.

Pressing a button on the side panel of her station, she opened a comm-link to the engineering department. Load's voice came through with a slight crackle. _"Yeah Director?"_

"We're in equatorial orbit and preparing to disengage, I want a status report on the umbilicus. Everything green?"

 _"Yeah, it's green. And before you ask, all landing systems are green too."_

"Good to know," Director said, switching of the comms and addressing the crew. "Alright, prepare to disengage from the platform."

"Standing by," Lynn said, finishing the countdown. "Fifteen seconds. Ten...five...four. Three. Two. One. Lock."

"Disengage," Director ordered.

Below the Kepler the clouds of the planet darkened as they passed on its night side. With a hiss from the hydraulics the Kepler disengaged from the refinery after the countdown, maneuvering thrusters pushing the small vessel away from the gargantuan structure. Director checked the readout on the computer and confirmed that the refinery was in perfect orbit, no signs of immediate orbital decay which the computer estimated would occur less than a hundred years.

 _'Hopefully it shouldn't take that long,'_ Director thought to herself, switching on the comm system again to address the whole crew. "Okay, cargo is safe. Seperation felt smooth but better safe than sorry. Are we clear?"

"Umbilicus is clear," Possible said, checking her readings while Fiske nodded.

"Confirmed. No damage whatsoever," He said. "Seperation was successful."

"Alright, let's bring her down," Director ordered, taking hold of the flight controls.

"Engaging engines," Lynn said.

A blast of white hot Ionised gas erupted from the triple drive engines at the rear of the vessel, driving it toward the atmosphere of the planetoid. Adjusting the speed and trajectory, they gradually descended while Lynn nervously glanced at the clouds they were soon to enter.

"Seen anything Lynn?" Director asked her.

"Nothing of interest but we shoud make sure we're strapped in nice and tight. Weather down there looks nasty but we won't know for certain until we get there.

Everyone made sure they were strapped in to their seats, hoping Lynn might be wrong but as soon as they entered the atmosphere and approached cloud level, they could see the dark brown clouds swirling violently. Penetrating the layer of cloud the Kepler was immediately struck hard by the fine dust particles of the clouds, the wind rocking the ship as it descended.

"Still dropping," Lynn confirmed, keeping an eye on their rate of descent. "This cloud is thicker that I thought. We're in for some nasty turbulance."

"Can hardly see a thing," Director said. "Switch on the landing lights, see if it can cut through the cloud. I'll keep an eye on the sonar."

The floodlights failed to cut through the thick cloud, leaving them still visibly blind and relying solely on the computer sensor readouts, which was highly risky as their was a danger the sensor system could fail and leave them blind. Aside from the poor visibility their descent seemed to be going pretty well until a sudden loud whine caught their attention, the whining sound of metal buckling which was never a good sign. Down in the engineering section Lontaine heard it and cursed under his breath.

"Shit! What was that?" He said, glancing at Ed. "You hear that?"

"Seriously, I heard," Ed sighed, as he checked the readings on a console. "Pressure drop on intake three, we must have lost a shield."

Double checking the intake, he saw confirmation that it had failed and was collecting a lot of the foreign dust particles.

"Aw man, dust is pouring in the intake!"

"Quick, lock it down!"

"Dude seriously, what d'you think I'm trying to do?" Ed shot back, punching in a few commands to lock down the intake.

"Frickin' landing is going swell so far. A secondary full of who knows what the hell that crap is."

"Shouldn't be too much of a problem," Ed said, as he begun to pump the particles out the vent. "I'll re-route three and vent it back out as it comes in."

"Well it's still too late to vent it out, the particles must have caused severe damage to the lining," Load sighed. "We'll have to check it once we land and make whatever repairs we can."

While the engineers kept a close eye on the remaining intakes and shield integrity, the bridge crew worked swiftly on finding a place to set the Kepler down. Director saw on her flight console intake three had failed, the damage alert light a flashing red. She hoped the other intakes wouldn't fail or they would be in for a crash landing.

"Approaching the point of origin," Lynn said, her eye on the readout. "Closing on twenty-five kilometers. Twenty. Fifteen...now at five."

"Got it, slowing and turning," Director said, steadily adjusting the pressure on the flight stick.

"Course correction three degrees, four minutes right," Lynn said, watching the navigational readout change as Director again adjusted their flight course. "Alright, you got it. Five kilometers to center of search circle."

"Okay, tightening circle now."

The crew felt the ship adjust to a tighter circular flight pattern as it descended, its air speed decreasing steadily toward landing.

"Now circling under two kiloms. We're practically above it now."

"Nice work Lynn, now find me a good spot to land this bird."

It was easier said than done as the more sensitive navigational equipment gave readings which weren't acceptable, the sensors struggling to get a solid detailed scan of the surface. Director kept maintaining their flight pattern as best she could while Possible tried to get a visual through the thick cloud they were in.

"It's impossible to get a clear visual here," She sighed with frustration. "Whatever it is this cloud is made of, it's playing havoc with the sensors. Radar. Sonar. Infra-Red. All of it is giving me noise. I'm gonna try Ultra-Violet, see if that works."

Adjusting the settings for another sensor scan, Possible couldn't stop herself smiling with satisfaction as the readouts shown a clear image of the surface. Practically flat with a few dozen good landing zones.

"Got it. As far as the readings go, we can set down anywhere you want. Totally flat surface area."

"I got that it's flat but I need a clearer definition of the surface. Is it ice, sand or solid rock?" Director demanded. "Fiske, can you get me a clearer reading?"

"Not at the moment, we need to get closer to the surface."

Descending closer to the surface, the Kepler's sensor analysed the surface of the alien world and relayed news that Director was grateful for. Solid rock that was once molten a few thousand years ago but good enough for them to land.

"Okay, I'm taking her down nice and steady," Director said.

The drive engines whined as the Kepler's air brakes reduced its speed, approaching the landing co-ordinates. Lynn continued counting down their distance to the surface while Fiske activated the landing gear, the creaking of the landing struts extending outward masked by the howling winds. Steady beeps from the computer console gave Director indication they were closer to the surface, firing landing thrusters to keep the ship level to reduced strain on the landing gear.

"We're hovering just under five meters now," Lynn said.

"Okay, kill drive engines."

Just as the Kepler made contact with the surface the ship shook violently, the senior crew alerted to what they believed to be an explosion down in engineering. Suddenly the computer systems screamed out in warning as they exploded, unable to handle the intense power overload that ran through the power relays. Scrambling to action, Fiske grabbed the nearest fire extinguisher while Director began an emergency shutdown of all systems.

Puddles whined as he took cover, terrified of the sudden chaos on the bridge. Emergency lighting came on as the back-up generators kicked in, Fiske just finishing combating the flames while Director opened a comm channel to engineering.

"Load! Lipsky! What the hell is happening down there?!" She demanded, listening to the sound of the two men cursing erratically.

 _"Whole place is going to shit, that's what's happening!"_ Load's voice replied. _"God damn dust came in through the intakes, must've gotten into the system! We thought we sealed it off quick during the landing but it's fricking obvious we didn't!"_

 _"Aw man, we got a serious electrical fire down here!"_

"Get it under control! I'll shut down the systems from here!" Director said, as she leant over the nearest computer console.

Wiping the sweat from her face, she punched up a list of affected systems and powered them down. It took them a few minutes to sort out the chaos, relieved when the warning sirens shut off as soon as the fires were extinguished. Director sighed heavily, annoyed that their simple mission was complicated by an unforeseen factor. Plus the engineers wouldn't be too happy to make repairs, if it were possible depending on the damage sustained. If they couldn't take off then Director wasn't sure if a rescue would receive any of their distress calls.

* * *

Load grumbled under his breath, firing the extinguisher over the still smouldering electrical components. He and Ed managed to put out the fire but the damage had been done, far too severe for them to repair with their current supplies. Noticing the flashing blue light near the comm panel, Load switched on the speaker and heard Director's voice on the other end.

 _"Okay, give me a damage report. How bad is it?"_

"Pretty bad. We managed to lock everything down but we weren't fast enough. Panel four is totally shot and the secondary load sharing unit is out, not to mention we lost four power cells on the number tweve module. Uh...we could repair what we can but don't expect a miracle, this is a patch job. All the ducts are completely shot so we got to re-route them but in order to make full repairs we need to dry-dock."

 _"Okay, then how long until you can complete repairs?"_

Lipsy gave a quick glance at the damage, sighing heavily. "Tell them at least seventeen hours I think."

Load thought about the repair time, calculating how much time they should add in case repairs take longer, thumbing the call button. "At least twenty five hours."

 _"You two wait right there, I'll be coming down to assist you,"_ Possible's voice said, much to the surprise and annoyance of the two engineers.

"Seriously, is she being serious?" Lipsky grumbled, picking up an ion torch.

"Yeah, I love to see what she is going to do to help," Load muttered, hating the idea of having one of the senior officers helping them. It was probably an excuse to see just how much work was really required to make patch repairs but it could give him a chance to try put in a case for an increase in their shares.

"Tell ya one thing, Red seriously better stay the hell outta my way, that's for sure."

* * *

Eric monitored the signal on the communications console, thankfully undamaged in the initial power surge, while Director and Fiske listened intently. It was coming in a lot clearer than before, so they were definitely close. Standard hailing frequencies were used, along with a few others that Eric tried but the alien broadcast remained unchanged.

Lynn was trying to settle her nerves, smoking a cigarette which was normally not allowed on the bridge. Director wasn't too bothered by it, allowing Lynn to break a little rule but was entirely focused on news of the mysterious signal.

"Any change?" Director asked him, Eric responding with a negatory shake of his head.

"Signal hasn't changed but maybe its because our methods of contact are different than theirs," Eric explained. "I got Mother working on decoding the message but it will take a while."

Director sighed tiredly, wishing it could've been as simple as saying 'Hello' over the radio but in her line of work, nothing was simple. "Kick on the floods. I want to see where we are."

Beneath the Kepler powerful floodlights cut through the swirling dust storm, the rays of light revealing a desolate and rocky world. Jagged and twisted pillars of rock towered to form small canyons, some formations arching into one another to form natural bridges. Much of the rock had been worn away by the rough winds, the dust particles acting like sandpaper. It was a miracle the ship didn't crash during landing, with all the havoc the local weather caused them.

"Huh, can hardly see a damn thing out there," She said.

"Well Mother say's the local sun is coming up in about twenty minutes, so it should make it easier to see during the day," Eric said.

"What's the distance from our position?" Director inquired.

"Around two thousand meters," Eric answered, after a quick check of the scanners. "Well within walking distance."

"What's the composition of the atmosphere? Is it breathable or will we need E.V.A. suits?"

"Likely we'll need the suits," Eric said with a slight laugh, gesturing to the weather outside. "But I'll run a quick scan of the atmosphere."

With surprising efficiency he swiftly scanned the atmosphere, seemingly unaffected by fatigue despite being up for nearly twelve hours solid. An impressive feat, if not unusual for an ordinary man but Director figure he was either just really exicited or there was more than meets the eye with Eric. Tiredly rubbing her eyes, she pushed any thoughts of Eric's productivity aside. She just had to focus on investigating the signal then get off the planet as fast as they could.

"Here we go. Huh, interesting to say the least," Eric said curiously. "Atmosphere is primodial. Mainly inert nitrogen and some oxygen, very high concentration of carbon dioxide. Also methane and ammonia, some in its frozen state...it's deep cold outside, way below the line. I'll work on getting samples of the trace elements here, but if you are heading out then you better suit up."

"I'll volunteer to be part of the exploration team," Fiske said, Director acknowledging him with a nod. Lynn sighed when she saw Director glance at her.

"You too Lynn, we'll need your expertise to navigate this storm."

"Huh...swell," Lynn sighed. Exploring during a dust storm wasn't her idea of a good time, even if they needed her navigational skills.

"Don't know if we'll encounter any life, but we better take some weapons just to be safe," Director said. She sure hoped they wouldn't have to us them.

* * *

Possible had to admit that the engineers had terrible working conditions, gasping as sweat started to drench her uniform. Despite best efforts of the cooling system, the corridors of the Kepler's engineering deck was like a giant sauna. Clouds of cool vapour sprayed from the fire suppression system, in a bid to help reduce the temperature in engineering. Load and Lipsky were working on repairing one of the main power relays, a task beyond Possible's skill but she was competant at repairing minor systems. With a small flashlight clenched between her teeth, she was focused on a small panel on the side of the wall. Using a small tool to pry the charred components out, she reached into a bag slung over her shoulder and searched for the right replacement.

Load glanced up to see how good a job she was doing, finding it still hard to believe she was getting her hands dirty. Shutting off the plasma torch, he checked the repairs she done and nodded with approval. With the small repairs done, it would save them time from having to re-route the power when they had to take off once the exploration teams mission was over.

"Hey, Possible," Load said, just as she finished slotting the last component in place. "What'd you think they gonna find? I mean, would we get like an extra bonus aside from the huge cargo we're towing?"

"Depends on what they find," Possible told them, having to speak loudly over the noise of the machinery. "Don't worry about it, you'll get whatever is coming to you. Besides you two should be focusing on repairs, not money."

"Well we're not going to doing any more work until we get this bonus thing sorted out, seriously," Lipsky said, putting his tools down in protest.

The way the Warrant Officer looked at them, Load could tell she used that expression a countless times before. Being a mother she had experience at laying down the law on her own daughter whenever she refused to do something; an action she had grown out of at a young age. She found it annoying that the two engineers would stoop to acting childish just to get their way, a tactic they did use often whenever the Captain wasn't around.

"You two are guaranteed to get full shares once this is over. Now quit clowning around and get back to work. If you two need me, I'll be on the bridge."

As she turned to walk away, she doubled checked the connections of the repairs she made when the two engineers thought about annoying her like they usually did. Considering she was in a position to affect their pay it wasn't wise to piss her off. Glancing at his partner, Load motioned for him to get back to work, picking up his tools.

* * *

Director, Fiske and Lynn approached the airlock door, wearing protective E.V.A. suits which were difficult to walk around in; the layers of insulation and fabric making them extremely bulky. Their breath formed a layer of condensation on the inside of their helmets, the internal air conditioning of their suits quickly rectifying the minor annoyance. Stepping inside the airlock chamber, Eric cycled the airlock systems before opening the exterior doors, revealing a small personnel elevator.

Yellow warning lights flashed on the belly of the Kepler, the small personnel elevator descending down to the surface. With their personal light sources, the three crew members couldn't see more than a few meters ahead of them, despite it being daylight. The thick cloud completely blocked out the sunlight, seemingly casting the entire planet in darkness. Treading carefully into the dust storm, the exploration team begun their approach toward the alien broadcast.

Inside the Kepler, Eric monitored the investigation teams progress from his monitoring station. Testing the radio and video links on their suits, he was satisfied to see a slightly fuzzy visual quality on the monitors despite the interference from the storm outside the ship.

 _"Eric, can you hear us?"_ Director's voice asked, coming in loud and clear on the speakers.

"Yeah, I can hear you," Eric replied, glancing out the window to wave at them. "Good communication connections, you're clear to proceed. Good luck."

"Okay Lynn, which way?" Director asked, waiting for Lynn to double check the portable scanner.

Pointing toward a formation of boulders and steep cliffs, the path before them was a large canyon which would open up to a flat plain.

"You got the lead, we'll follow," Director said, ignoring the icy glare from Lynn.

"Gee, how fun," She muttered.

Pressing on into the darkness, the investigation team continued their journey. The miniature lights on their protective helmets wasn't enough to cut through the thick dust of the storm, forcing them to stay close together to avoid getting lost. Lynn felt a shiver travel down her spine, the howling winds and the dark looming shapes of the rock formations was enough to fuel her imagination. Thoughts of something prowling through the rocky canyons, stalking them made her wonder if coming to the planet was a good idea in the first place.

"Urgh, why couldn't we wait until the storm ended?" Lynn whined. "What if we get lost or something?"

"We won't get lost," Director assured her. "And quit your whining. It's not too far a walk."

"Hey, I like whining."

Director and Fiske felt the same way, although their imaginations not as active than Lynn's. Although it was just another world to explore, it was the most creepiest that they visited.

After a few minutes of walking and re-acquiring their bearings, the canyon ended at the solid mass of once molten rock; an ancient sea of lava fossilized for millenia. In the distance, large mountain ranges gradually became visible as the dust storm gradually became less intense than it was before. It was grateful to see that their luck was starting to change, the trio admiring the view before them when Fiske gasped. Before he could tell them, Director and Lynn saw what he spotted in the distance but they were too awe-struck to answer.

Perched on a partially demolished mountain range, likely the result of a violent landing was a dark metallic structure. Director was intrigued by the shape, like a giant horseshoe only the curve was more bulkier.

"Oh God," Fiske managed to say, unable to find the right words for such a sight. "Oh God."

"Eric, are you seeing this?" Director said, her eyes still focused on the structure in the distance.

 _"I can see it!"_ Eric responded, just as awestruck as them but his scientific curiosity making him quite excited. _"This is absolutely incredible!"_

"I find it absolutely fur-eaky," Lynn said, with a tremor.

"Well, looks like we know where the signal is coming from," Director joked, smiling as Fiske and Lynn laughed weakly in response. "C'mon, lets get this over with."

The exploration team continued on, toward the alien craft. Unaware of the terrible fate that awaited one of them.

* * *

 **Xenomorph - Behind the Scenes with Kim & Ron**

 **Part 2**

Returning to the two teens in front of the velvet curtain, they gave a warm smile before waving at the readers.

"Huh, time for another round of trivia KP?" Ron asked, glancing at his girlfriend.

"Yep but we have one really important thing to do first," Kim said, hitting a button on her Kimmunicator.

A large sign descended above them; a white board with bold black lettering.

 **Thanks to CajunBear73, Hopeful-Husky and Eddy13 for reading and reviewing.**

"Huh, just a white board?" Ron said. "I mean, I would've thought SC would put more effort into it."

"Yeah well I spoke to him about that and...well, it was kind of expensive get the sets ready so he didn't have much of the original budget left," Kim explained.

"Uh...how much did he spend?"

"About eight point four million dollars," Kim said, Ron letting out a low whistle in response.

"Woah, just like the budget of the original movie! But what I'm impressed is the landing sequence though, since the writer refused to use CGI for it. Gotta give him respect for going old school."

"Yeah, mom told me that some of the film crew shook the seat with their hands while keeping out of the camera's view," Kim said. "To create the illusion of violent turbulance and the thrust of the engines of the Kepler. Interesting thing about the name of the ship, since we can't use the name Nostromo for the story but the ship wasn't originally called the Nostromo."

"Yeah, I actually heard this from your cousin Larry about this KP," Ron told her. "It was original called the Snark. Then it was renamed Leviathan before settling for Nostromo."

"But did he tell you the connection to Polish-British writer Joseph Conrad, born in 1857 and considered to be one of the best novelists to write in the English language?" Kim asked him, regestering the confusion on Ron's face. "One of his notable works was a novel that has the title Nostromo. Pretty cool, huh?"

"Whoa, that I didn't know, but I bet you don't know this," Ron said. "If you watch the movie and look at the doors of the Nostromo carefully, you'll see a small red 'checkerboard square' logo on them. That is actually the symbol of the Purina pet food label."

"Get out!" Kim gasped, finding it hard to believe. "Are you being serious?!"

"Yeah, it was sort of meant to designate the fact the crew were 'alien chow'," Ron said, using air qoutes to emphasise his point.

Kim couldn't help but laugh at the clever injoke, wondering just how many fans of the franchise actually got that.

"Huh, that I _didn't_ know," Kim chuckled. "Well, we better wrap this second part up now. Want to do the honors Ron?"

"You bet KP," Ron said, turning to face the readers. "Okay, hope you enjoyed the update. Next update will be post when ready so we'll see you next time. Oh and a quick bonus for anyone who can figure out what SM-607 stands for. Kim and I'll will give the answer next time."


End file.
